The Way That the Chips Fall
by Xo Bella Italiana oX
Summary: (All Human) Billionaire Jasper Whitlock doesn't believe in marriage, but in order to inherit his father's corporation, he needs a wife & needs one fast.When he discovers his sister's childhood friend's in dire financial straits, he offer's Bella a bold proposition; a marriage in name only with certain rules. It's only for a year,so the rules shouldn't be that hard to follow, right?


**Disclaimer.**** All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.**

**The Way That the Chips Fall**

**A/N:**** REWRITTEN! Yes, this is the same story and plot, but I've decided to rewrite it a bit. If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter. – Bella'Xo**

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**Summary:**

To save her family's home, impulsive bookstore owner makes a deal with the devil, himself, in the form of billionaire, Jasper Whitlock – the powerful man who once shattered her heart. Jasper doesn't believe in marriage, but in order to inherit his father's corporation, he needs a wife and needs one fast. When he discovers his sister's childhood friend in dire financial straits, he offers Bella a bold proposition: a marriage in name only with certain rules. Avoid entanglement. Keep things all business. Do not fall in love. The arrangement is only for a year, so the rules shouldn't be that hard to follow, right? Except fate has a way of upsetting the best-laid plans. – Inspired by 'The Marriage Bargain' by Jennifer Probst.

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**Chapter 1  
****(Bella's POV)**

REJECTED

Bella sat at the kitchen table in her small apartment above her book store with her head in her hands as she reread the same paragraph over and over.

_Thank you for contacting us about your credit needs. Unfortunately, after careful review of your application, we must decline your loan request at this time. However, we would gladly reconsider your request if someone signed with you on the loan._

The problem was, that even if she would accept someone's offer to cosign her loan application, there was no one that would have the credit she needed to get the loan application approved so that she could put the expansion onto her bookstore. Her parents, Renee and Charlie were having their own money problems, so they were completely out of the question, regardless. Just last week, the couple had gotten a notice in the mail from the bank that since they couldn't afford to continue to pay their mortgage, the bank was going to seize their home in two months' time if they couldn't somehow figure out how to come up with the money. Like her, they had applied for their own loans, but to no avail.

Their money problems started about ten years ago. Bella's father, Charlie Swan, was the police chief of the small rainy town of Forks, Washington. Her mother was an artist, who sold her pieces in the city of Seattle, as well as in a small gallery in Port Angeles. They were able to support Bella and her brother, Emmett, just fine and have just enough money to cover their bills and the mortgage of the house that Bella grew up in. But then Charlie was shot in the line of duty, shattering his collar bone and tearing his muscle. He was sent out on leave until he healed, which from the look of it wouldn't be for a while.

From that point on, he grew depressed and picked up the habit of gambling. He would blow through his workman's comp checks and little by little began to gamble away their entire savings account. The couple was so in debt that the electricity had even been turned off on several occasions and they would have to make the choice between food money or the water bill. It even continued on after Charlie was admitted back to work, for his problem had become an addiction. This went on for two years and was to the point where Bella's mother had finally kicked Charlie out of the house and refused him visitation to see his kids.

This had been a wakeup call for Charlie Swan. He immediately enrolled himself into Gambler's Anonymous and worked to build his life back. He lived in motels and sometimes even slept down at the station or in his cruiser. Finally, after he felt he was confident enough after staying away from gambling for four months, he confronted Renee and begged her to take him back. Of course, she was skeptical at first, with every right to be, but after proving himself, she forgave him and allowed him to come home.

Unfortunately, though, the couple was still paying for Charlie's mistakes and everything was finally catching up with them. They were out of chances and weren't permitted to take another loan from the bank. And now, Bella was about to lose her childhood home.

Tara **(A/N: Credit for the name goes to Jennifer Probst herself, as that was the name used in the book.) **was Bella's grandmother's name and the couple had named the beautiful piece of property after her. It was set back in a secluded meadow deep within the forest. It was the picture perfect northwest property with a small river that danced across the large yard. Beautiful greenery surrounded them on all sides of the meadow, the forest life adding the perfect music on the land. The house itself was a medium sized home with four bedrooms and a wraparound porch. It had been the house that her parents had bought when they first discovered that they were pregnant with Bella's older brother, Emmett. Then, the following year, Bella herself had been born, completing their family.

There were no neighbors around them for miles, except for Bella's best friend, Rosalie and her family. They lived within walking distance on their own secluded property, but unlike Bella's family, Rosalie's family was extremely well-off and lived in a mansion the size of a school. They were the wealthiest family in Forks, Washington and potentially, the entire Western half of the country. Aside from Bella, herself, and her brother, Emmett, Rosalie was the only one who knew about how bad the Swan's money problems were at the moment. The Swans were proud people, and didn't accept charity from those outside of their immediate family.

As for the Cullen family, they consisted of Rosalie, herself, her parents, Carlisle and Esme, and her older brother, Jasper. Rosalie was Bella's age, whereas Jasper was Emmett's age. Carlisle was a brilliant doctor and surgeon, and worked as the leading physician at the hospital in Seattle, and traveled all over the world to care for high paying clients. He also worked at other hospitals throughout Washington, such as Tacoma General Hospital, Swedish Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, the University of Washington Medical Center, and the hospital here in Forks. Between work and all of his business associates, he was barely ever home, leaving his children with a nanny, or a maid as they got older.

Esme Cullen was an interior designer, and a good one at that. She worked for herself, owning her own company and made plenty of money designing rich people's homes all over the country. She was very well known and came highly recommended by movie stars and business men alike, and she didn't come cheap. When she was not working, she would be off shopping around the world or going to functions with her husband, leaving little to no time for her children. Like her husband, work came first and cared little for the bother of raising kids.

Being without their parents for the majority of the time, Rosalie and Jasper had become near permanent fixtures in the Swan's home and Renee and Charlie had come to see them as family.

At first, the four of them all became good friends, always playing and spending time together. This continued on until the boys became 'too old for kid's games' and began to take an interest in sports, girls and anything with an engine that moved. Rosalie had brushed this off, not thinking anything of it and always telling them that it was their loss, but Bella, nonetheless, had taken it personal at first, not liking the rejection from her brother and one of her closest friends. However, this only lasted until Jasper's attitude had escalated into plain rudeness. He believed that he was 'too cool to be seen with little kids' and would relentlessly tease her as she entered her awkward years, but even then, Bella would turn her head and say nothing, choosing to ignore him and refusing to feel bad about herself.

Even in Junior High, Jasper had only found new ways to mock and torture her. She could distinctly recall a memory regarding her first kiss, which had sadly happened to be with Jasper. He had teased her about not knowing how to kiss and not wanting to look like a prude, she had argued with him, resulting in him telling her to 'prove it'. Taking a deep breath, she agreed and they shared her first kiss. It was magical to her and she could swear that she could hear fireworks in the distance. Unfortunately, that was ruined when Jasper began to laugh at her and tell her that she was a sucky kisser, causing her to grit her teeth and punch him square in the eye. It was after that moment that Bella began to give as good as she got, refusing to let him ever make her feel bad about herself ever again.

Lucky for her, though, Emmett still adored his little sister. He just liked to hang out with Jasper and impress the adolescent girls with his wide variety of skills when it came to sports. He protected her throughout their childhood, being there for her when it really counted.

"Hey Bells!" Rosalie smiled at her best friend, breaking Bella out of her thoughts, as she carried in what looked to be a bag full of bagels and two coffees from the little coffee shop down the street. She collapsed into the seat next to her, placing her offerings on the table.

Bella let out a groan, running her hands down the front of her face. "Hey Rose."

Rosalie's brows shot up towards her blonde hairline. "That's not exactly the kind of greeting I was expecting. Especially after I come bearing gifts." She joked, before scrunching her perfectly shaped brows in concern. "What's wrong?" Her eyes flickered down towards the letter in front of Bella. "And what's this?" She asked and picked up the piece of paper, scanning the words on the page.

Bella didn't respond, figuring that the letter would explain it all. "I'm royally fucked."

Placing the letter back down on the table, Rosalie shook her head. "No, you're not. It says right here that they'd reconsider your loan if you had someone to cosign with you. I'd told you before you applied that I'd happily do it. There won't even be a question of you being denied, this way."

Of course, she wouldn't. Bella knew that the second they saw Rosalie's name on the loan application, they'd immediately process the application and she would have her money within days. Sure, her parent's money had a big part to play in Rosalie's attainment, but she was also very successful, herself.

Since they were children, Rosalie had always had a knack for photography and would always go around taking pictures of all of Bella's relatives when they came to visit for family functions. They would even pretend to have photo shoots out in the woods, pretending that Bella was a famous super model and Rosalie, her personal photographer. Bella never felt much like a model, but it always made Rose happy to be behind the lens, rather in front of it where she should be with her extravagant beauty. Now, Rosalie was one of the biggest names in photography in the world. She traveled everywhere taking pictures of near naked men for fashion magazines, always making the finished product out to be a work of art by the end of it. She even managed to get Bella involved in an ad or two, even against her incessant protests. It was only after putting her foot down that she even managed to remain in something more than a designer bra and panties set.

Bella sighed, for what felt like the hundredth time that evening and shook her head. "You know I can't let you do that, Rose."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "And remind me again, why you won't let me help you?" She sat back in her chair and waited for Bella to answer.

She began to fold the cursed letter back up to put back in the opened envelope. "Because, if I let you do this, then it won't be my own."

"Of course, it will!" Rose interrupted her. "All I'd be doing is adding my name to a document to help you get the money that you need for your expansion."

"But that's just it, Rose. If I allow you to do that, then it won't really just be mine. I made Book Crazy **(A/N: Again, the name belongs to Jennifer Probst) **into what it is now all by myself. If I let you cosign, then it won't be just mine, anymore." A moment of silence lapsed between the pair before Bella spoke again. "Don't worry, Rose. I'll figure something out."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and nodded, accepting that her friend's pride wouldn't let her accept any help from her and that it would be fruitless to continue to try.

Picking up her coffee and bringing it to her lips, she eyed the envelope in front of Bella. "So, did they say why they won't grant you the loan?"

Bella shook her head. "I haven't contacted them yet, to find out." She picked up her own coffee and took a sip, feeling the warmth of the hot liquid warm her throat and stomach on its way down.

Rose shook her head absentmindedly as she reached into the bag of bagels and picked out an everything bagel, as well as a square of cream cheese.

"It doesn't make any sense to me. It's not like you have to pay separate housing bills, because you live right upstairs. Not to mention, Book Crazy is doing great! Those poetry readings that you have every Thursday night really bring in a lot of people."

Bella rolled her eyes. "And I could keep those people there if I had the money to add on the food and beverage station, rather than those people leaving because they're hungry or thirsty."

Rose nodded her agreement and smirked before taking a bite of her bagel. "It would be a regular Barnes and Noble, but better!"

"That's what I'm aiming for," Bella breathed out, reaching in the bag to grab her sesame seeded bagel with a small container of jam.

Rosalie's cell phone buzzed, causing her to pick it up and check the message. Her friend smiled at the text and began to reply to the sender as Bella watched and took a bite of her bagel.

Placing her phone back onto the table, Rosalie looked over at Bella and smiled as she stood from her seat and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Don't worry, Bells. I'm sure that everything will work out for you, sooner than you think." She waved and made her way out of Bella's apartment, closing the door behind her.

Bella sat back in her chair and finished her bagel, before getting ready to go down and open the store. She wasn't sure what her friend meant when she said 'sooner than she thought', but as she thought it over she decided that she wouldn't question it, not giving up on her aspirations.

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**A/N:**** And there you have it! Chapter one if done and posted! I hope that you like it, because I am very pleased with how it came out so far! So, any ideas on who the text message was from on Rosalie's phone? I'd love to hear what everyone thinks will happen in the next chapter! Review!**

**If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note!**

**To see more, go to my page: Xo Bella Italiana oX**

**If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Stories that need beta'ing. I will accept OC characters as well as other Fan Fiction stories aside from Twilight depending on the other lead character. PM me for details!  
**_- Bellx'Xo -__**  
**_**Xo Bella Italiana oX**


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